Snippets of Love and Life – Drabbles!
by Nezz
Summary: Some unrelated Drabbles about the wonderful characters in Harry Potter, mostly Marauders. Funny and sad, fluffy and dark. Give it a try, I'll appreciate it and you won't regret it.
1. War Toll

**Hello! I have a few drabbles I wanted to post. They were mostly written for different challanges on another website. A large percentage of them are about the Marauders (because the Marauders are the best.). And, of course, I don't own the characters nor anything else you recognise.  
**

"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego! Stupefy!"

James fought side-by-side Sirius, fought the Death Eaters for all he was worth. Vivid colours flew everywhere; there a curse, here a jinx. Red (like Lily's hair, he thought) collided with green (and her eyes are like emeralds) all around him.

They were losing, he knew it. Outnumbered, they called for a retreat. As soon as he made sure Sirius was okay and that Remus and Peter made it back safely, he Apparated to Godric's Hollow and entered his protected house.

"Lily! Are you alright?"

The next thing he knew she flung herself at him and her scent enveloped him. Her swollen belly – carrying their child – pressed tightly to his own.

"James – thank goodness you're alright! I've been so worried – are Sirius, peter and Remus alright?"

"Yeah – we got away in time…" James replied, tiredness sweeping over him like a wave. "C'mon, let's go and lie down for a bit…"

Their sofa was like made for them; so often they lay there together, not strong enough to keep going and yet too frightened to go to sleep, where images of many fights and emotions of losing would hunt them. This war was taking its tool on everybody.

James held Lily close, not willing to let her go. He was so afraid, so scared He might take her away. He was quite willing to die for her, but he might not be given a chance. She felt good and familiar in his arms. He relaxed there on their couch, and for a brief moment, they could pretend everything was okay, that there was no war and no Voldemort and their friends were all alive and well.

Lily turned around and faced him. "James, I'm happy to be with you; nothing – everything's okay when you're here."

James smiled. "Took those words right off my tongue, dear," he told her softly. Kissing her gently, he added, "Lily, I love you."

**See that little inviting box? Isn't that "Go" button just so shiny? You know you want to, and it would make my day :)  
**


	2. A Picture of Love

James Potter was not a man to stand by and wait for the girl to notice him. And since third year, his eyes were glued to Lily Evans. Sirius had a tendency to say he lusted for her. Peter always said that it was just a hunt, and he'd sign her off when he got her. Remus told him he most likely wasn't even going to get her.

Now they were all proven wrong, James thought, waiting at the altar for that same Lily, who never was a trophy, who was his one sweetheart. He calculated he could get about sixteen other girlfriends while in his 'pursuit' of Lily, but he hadn't dated a single one of them.

He flashed a grin towards his best man and friend, standing right beside him. Sirius returned it, understanding that Prongs has never been so happy.

And then, the gates opened and the music played and he saw her. She was as stunningly beautiful as he had never seen her till now. The white lilies in her hair shone unbelievably, and he found it hard to focus on anything else than that image of a perfect woman.

After an endless amount of time she glided to his side, taking his hand into hers, squeezing it slightly. She made him feel so happy and fulfilled he wouldn't give it away for the world. The loving smile on her lips and the gleeful look in her emerald eyes was enough to send any man half-crazy, James thought. And he knew that that picture of Lily's perfect face and her red, red lips and her green, green orbs will never leave him, that it was more permanent than any image taken by a camera and told even more than a thousand words.

It was a picture of happiness, of hope and of "I do"s , a face of patience and kindness. It was residing in his heart eternally, never to leave.

It was a picture of love.


	3. Their Fire

**JK Rowling owns the characters.**

She was like a candle, always burning and glowing.

Her hair was flame-red. It shone in the sun and reflected the glow of moonlight in the night. Her hair caught the snowflakes in the winter and there they would melt.

There was something mischievous, a glint of that suppressed rule-breaker, in her eyes. A tiny fire would spurt in her gaze when she got mad.

There was a fire in him that couldn't be put out in a million of years. And it only went higher, stronger, warmer every time he laid his eyes on her. he was afraid the fire would consume him, and then everything would burn.

Then she caught his fire too, and they were glowing together. United into one, their fires became stronger and yet so pleasant. He only ever hoped to live that day.

But there was a war going on, and they didn't have time to be really innocent and young and wild and free. But their fires lived on, even as flames of battles were raging all around the country.

And they fought, because they had a fire in them, that righteous flame, that wouldn't let them stand aside. And their magic flames spurt high and their love never wavered.

There were Death Eaters in one battle and they didn't get away on time. The monsters got his Lily and almost blew out her flame. He made a feeble attempt to save her, and a curse hit him, and he felt his nerves on fire. He was burning from the inside and it was agony far beyond anything he knew.

Sirius came and saved them with his angry flame that night. And it was him who was there when Lily and James had Harry, a new little candle in the world of fire, in the world on fire.

The baby grew and they hid. But prophecies have a way of coming true, and James knew it, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. When a blow that was about to extinguish his fire was about to enter, he just told Lily to run. He smiled at her, because that was what he did when there was nothing else to do.

There was a final flash of fiery red, and that was the last thing that he saw. He didn't see the green of an evil curse or the evil face. And he didn't care, for he knew Lily's fire would keep Harry safe. And then he was going to see her again, in all her glory, and they would start burning anew.

And they burned in Heaven together as their old home got consumed by flames, and they watched their son's road through and around fire. His little candle grew big and he made them proud.

**The purpelish (lol) "Go" box needs some love! (wink-wink)**


	4. Visiting

**I don't own it, Rowling does, yada yada yada. This one's not one of my best ones, but maybe you'll like it!**

"Hey, James, someone's coming!"

"Quite a few someones, I'd say, love," he said to Lily and stepped to her side.

"Aw, look, James, it's Harry."

"What's that kid doing in those clothes? He looks like Padfoot in a Muggle store."

"James, that's your grandson you're talking about! And that blue jean vest isn't so bad. You had one just like it…"

"Lily, don't mention it. And I'm not that ancient to be someone's Grandad!"

On the other side of the veil, unable to hear their rambling, a family of five stood, bathed in June sun. A tall man with green eyes behind his classes smiled down on a flower-covered eternal bed of rest.

Two little boys – the bigger one cooking in a vest – were running about quite happily. A toddler was chatting nonsense to her mum.

"Hey, there, James, Al, that's no way to act on a cemetery! Come here, won't you?" Harry called. "That's your grandma and grandpa resting here."

"Your mummy and daddy? The ones we're named after?"

"Spot on, James. I hear your namesake was quite a trouble maker. Sure he hopes you'll give him a run for his money."

"No worries, dad, I will," his eldest son smiled broadly.

"Dad, when's Teddy coming home? He wants to meet Lily and James too!"

"We're picking him up in the evening, Al," Harry answered patiently.

Ginny put little Lily down and stepped to her husband's side. "Come on, love, we better go. As you said, Teddy's coming home today."

"Sure, Gin," he answered, gazing to the distance.

Little Lily shakily walked to the gravestone and put a lily flower on top of it. "'Annie Lil, pa Jam! Dada home. Ove you!"

His daughter jerked Harry back to reality. "Bye mum, bye dad. Until we meet again."

"Hope it's not too soon, baby," Lily whispered and snuggled up closer to James.

"Don't worry, Lils, just look at him – such happiness will linger for a bit," he reassured and waved, even though the new generation of Potters couldn't see him.

**Maybe you just felt a strange urge to review. I say don't fight it!**


	5. Badge

**JKR owns this characters. I hope she treats them really well, because I like them.**

"But it's not fair!" Peter was protesting. "There are three of you, playing Chaser, and what am I – a lone keeper? They've got their teams on real matches, you know!"

"Oh, Wormtail, stop complaining. It's not like Jamesie here is going to let you in on the team just because you're his friend," teased Sirius.

"Yeah, I want my team to win," James smiled broadly.

"I wouldn't complain; some practice never hurt anybody. And if you really want to get on the team – well, Sirius is right," Remus added his two Knuts.

The four friends were staying at James' for the summer – their last holidays. Each had a broom thrown over their shoulders. They were starving for one of Mrs. Potter's famous treats after playing Quidditch for hours. And indeed they were greeted by the friendly smell of her cooking as they burst through the door in their usual loud manner.

"Hello, boys, had a nice afternoon?" James's mom was being her usual friendly self. "Your Hogwarts letters have arrived, dears. Right there in the dining room," she told the Marauders and swished her wand at a pile of dirty dishes.

The boys spared no time on being nice but proceeded to the dining room. Sitting down, chatting and eating their full fill they were quite happy. There wasn't a dark shadow of Voldemort's hanging in the air, no hostility was present and all was well. Hogwarts letters were waiting for the hungry men and they were content because they still had a year of being carefree and not-quite-grown-up.

They finished their meal and James grabbed all four letters from the mantelpiece. "Let's see if you got on the team now, shall we, Pete?" James teased. Peter smacked him over the head and muttered something under his breath, but his lips were twitching.

"On three, then," Sirius said.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

And four simultaneous tearings were heard as the friends opened their final Hogwarts letters.

"Wormy, you're on the team," James grinned as he rummaged his letter. "There's a badge here. You're very lucky, pal."

But as he pulled the badge in question out, he stared at it unbelievingly.

"H. B. they haven't changed the name of the game to Huidditch, have they?" Sirius peered over James' shoulder.

"You're Head Boy? That is – congratulations, Prongs," said Remus.

"This is so embarrassing. We're the pranksters, James! How could you do this to us? You insensitive joy-killer."

"Oh, shut it, guys. It's not like I asked for this – Dumbledore must be going mental – and nothing can ever break the Marauders," James was reassuring his friends, despite his ears going all red.

This might be his chance to finally get Lily to see he wasn't a stupid toe-rag. This might mean he would get some respect and people to look up to him, seriously. And, somehow, somewhere, he was a little pleased with himself.

**Now you can review and let me know your thoughts! Isn't that exciting?**


	6. Welcome to the world

**I don't own it, blah blah blah.**

He had never seen James so happy, anxious and bouncy at the same time. he was a bit agitated himself; it was, after all, a big day. But at the sight of James' disoriented face and messy hair with a bit of a beard on his chin he sprang to his feet in a millisecond. The white of the hospital was beginning to get boring anyway.

"S-she – I – Padfood – it's a boy!" James managed to get out.

"Gee, Prongs, you really are a dad now," Sirius said with a mock sadness. "Let's see the new prankster then, shall we?"

He burst through the door to Lily's room. He did try to stay composed; but it was a baby! And James' baby at that. With Lily. He was still adding it up in his head because it didn't really make much sense.

"Lils, you okay, love?" James was looking lovingly at his wife holding their little newborn. " Hey Sirius, come over here and meet your godson."

A godfather, huh? He knew James was like a brother to him, but he was still touched by that trust he put in him. "Hello little baby," he said to the bundle James gently put into his arms. Harry – that was his godson's name! – seemed to be sleeping. "You aren't going to fool me, little one," Sirius continued talking to the baby. As if on cue the baby half-opened his eyes, looking up at Sirius. "Don't worry, Harry, Daddy and I will make sure you're a big brave man someday, and you'll know all the secret passageways… and you're gonna be a Quidditch star… aaaah, yeees, the future is bright…" Even though Sirius never took Divination he did a fairly good imitation of the old hag who used to teach at Hogwarts.

Harry found that funny and erupted in fits of giggles – or so Sirius thought. A second later he was covered in baby vomit. Wide-eyed he looked at Lily and then to James and lastly to Harry. "Not a way to treat your godfather, you naughty boy," he scolded the guilty party.

"You'll see, little Harry, I'm gonna take care of you and you'll learn to only puke on Slytherins," Sirius smiled, quite unaware that Harry wasn't the only one in the room with him. He was a man, and yet this tiny bundle with his teeny hands and feet would easily bring him to his knees and cry. He loved James' son from that day on. "I'll always be here, little Harry," he added in a whisper.

**It doesn't actually hurt to review.  
**


	7. Sirius in the Circus

**My attempt at humor. I'd say it didn't quite work. Oh well. As always, I don't own it and don't hesitate to review.**

Padfoot was running through a Muggle street amongst plenty of Muggles. He was young and he was strong and it felt good to be free. Not really thinking (he wasn't all too fond of using his brilliant mind on consequences), he barked gleefully and jumped on a small child. He was waving his tail happily, his great paws leaning on the kid's shoulders. All of a sudden, he got hit around his head with a heavy purse. The brat's mum was already shouting for someone to call the circus to inform them that a crazy dog must have ran away from them.

Confused, Sirius didn't dare to change into his human form, for all eyes were on him. He watched from face to face, waiting to see what was about to happen now.

An annoyed-looking man stepped over after what seemed like ages – and maybe it was – and took a look at him.

"Not ours," he spat. "Looks handsome though, might just as well take it."

"Just do so, I don't want my kids to be drooled over!" the woman raised her angry voice.

Sirius couldn't do much without giving himself away, so he had to just let the strange man put him in a van. He knew there was a circus in town; he was supposed to go and see a show with his fellow Marauders. _Oh, well_, he thought, _there will be a time for that after this mess works out._

Then he was thrown out of the van and carried like a piece of meat in a brightly coloured tent. He was going to see the circus after all! But from a very different perspective.

There were some more men around him now, and they let him out of the cage. Curious, he waved his tail slightly; he wasn't afraid of those people. The closest one ordered, "Sit!" And Padfoot did so just for the fun of it.

"A smart one, huh?" Said the one who brought him here. "Let's see how you manage with something more… complex."

He was so smart, it seemed, he was going to be put on stage tonight. He barked when he heard it, glad for his five minutes of glory. When evening fell, he didn't hesitate to step on stage and show the people what he's got. With a couple of other, normal dogs, he preformed tricks and even had good fun doing it.

With his dog hearing he caught a sound of James, his best mate.

"Isn't that Padfoot? I wondered where he was!"

"Who would've thought," agreed Wormtail.

"Well, we should get him back! He can't get away unnoticed," said the always reasonable Remus.

After the show was through, and Sirius got petted upon, happy to have all attention, three teens entered the backstage.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mister, but that dog performing tonight, he's ours. Could we have him back, please? He apparently got lost this afternoon," explained Remus.

"That great black one, eh? He really yours? One smart beast you've got there," was the circus-man reluctant to let the dog go.

"yeah, he's ours all right. Come, Padfoot, let's go home," called Peter.

With one last looks at the circus, the boys and the dog walked out. "Some stunt you pulled there, Padfoot," smiled Prongs, glancing to his now-human brother.


	8. Soap Opera

**JK Rowling kind of owns these characters, you know.  
**

**Ah, a bit more humor. How do you like it? Guess what, you can tell me in a review!  
**

Lily sat in front of their new bewitched television, waiting for the soap opera to start. Meanwhile, she nibbled on some crystallized pineapple Slughorn had sent her. He never called it a rest; she was still his favourite, even after she's been out of school for two years now. She didn't really like it, but she was doing it absent-mindedly.

There was a loud knock at the door. Definetly Sirius, she thought. There was no mistaking his knock whit someone else's.

"Come in!" She yelled from her cosy armchair. Sirius barged in almost without warning.

"Hey, Lils, where's James? And what are you doing in front of that teluvisiar?"

"It's television, Sirius," sighed Lily, suppressing a laugh. "And James went to see Peter tonight. I'm waiting for his soap opera to start, so I can record it."

"Oh, right," said Sirius, although he wasn't quite sure what a soap opera was. "So, what's that, a soap opera?" There was something about operas he once heard from Moony… "Is it like an opera, you know, where they sing and stuff? But they also throw soap?"

This time, Lily had to laugh out loud. "No, silly, it's like a TV show, with a lot of senseless plots and subplots. This one is about some teens on this campus. They're investigating a murder and they are in love all over the place. Shallow, if you ask me."

"Right. I get it now, I think. Who will get together in the end?"

"I don't know, Sirius," Lily made a face. "You have to wait for a new episode every week. Right now, Shelly, the best friend of the murdered kid, likes Gary. But he doesn't want to go out with her, because he likes Nikki. She was, however, the dead kid's girlfriend, so she doesn't want to hear anything about it. It's basically a drama for teenaged girls."

Sirius made a show of following everything she said. That was a bit difficult, however. "But you're not a senseless teenager; you never even were. Why are you watching this, then?"

"oh, I'm not," replied Lily, "I just know all that because James wouldn't stop talking about it."

Sirius looked at Lily in disbelief. He took a crystallized pineapple from the table and chewed on it. "Are you saying Prongs is watching a teenage girl show?" His face slowly broke into a grin as he fully grasped at the fact. "He's never going to hear the end of this!"


	9. Snape & Annette

**See, I'm trying at humor. Why don't you tell me how I'm doing?  
**

She sat nervously at the Headmaster's office, awaiting his decision. Although the Defence position had a somewhat notorious reputation, that couldn't put her away from her passion. Now Professor Dumbledore surveyed her with his twinkling blue eyes, saying those most wanted words: "Miss Annette Grouch, or should I say Professor Grouch – why don't you join the staff in the staff room?"

Once in front of the door, she got an awkward feeling in her stomach, but overcame it and followed the Headmaster in. She didn't listen to her words, but swiftly looked at her new colleagues. She remembered some from her school days, and she didn't know the others.

Then her gaze stopped upon a pale, dark-haired man with challenging black eyes. He noticed her looking at him, and she could swear the nervous feeling was back. Despite the butterflies in her stomach Annette showed him her teeth, and he sent a most beautiful smile across the room, straight into her arms, she felt.

Severus Snape was dealing with yet another horde of misled first-years, a couple of identical red-haired weasels the worst of the lot. Just as their cauldron exploded and he was getting ready for more points deduction, the new DADA Professor walked in. Her teeth were even whiter than on her first day, and her cheeks just as blushed.

"May I help you?" He said, forcefully calm. She acted as through he sang the most beautiful of songs. Snape kept observing her with one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, nothing, Sevvy," Annette said, as Snape's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and the twins tried to muffle their laughter. "I was just wondering how you were doing, that's all", she finished, and took her leave, thinking about his sexy pulsing vein.

She left the classroom, and Snape murmurned in cold furry, "twenty points from Gryffindor.

The situation kept worsening throughout the year, and Snape decided he had enough of being ridiculesed for a decade. So one day, with Annette again disturbing his classes, he asked to come over after the lessons were done. He prepared her a nice dinner, and, 'accidentally' slipped her some paranoia potion. She came, as through on Cloud 9, and even though Snape kept snarling at her, like from day one, she ate the meal, then, all of a sudden, started screaming and raging, and stormed out.

With Snape's satisfied grin to se the back of her, she was shipped off to St. Mungo's. Snape still has nightmares, haunted by flashy smiles, seduction and giggling all around him.


	10. Remus

**JKR owns this characters.**

A great large dog is barking at your door, and you let your old friend in. smiling, you start with "Padfoot, what are you –" but then you notice that the dog isn't all that gleeful, isn't his usual cheery self at all.

"Remus, he – he's back. Voldemort. And Harry – Cedric –" Sirius is saying something, and you can't grasp what you're hearing. He tells you all that has happened, and blood is slowly draining from your face.

And you hate what that means, and you don't want to believe it, because the last time he was around, walking on two feet, terrible things happened, and you lost colleagues, you lost friends and you lost a brother – and you lost yourself.

And you still remember – but you don't want to remember - their solemn faces, the sparkles eyes of your old friends, and the fear that resided in those eyes – the fear that dwelled in yours, too, and you dread to look in a mirror now, because you know that fear will glitter in the depths of your eyes once more.

And Harry – what of him? He's lost so much – and you've lost so much, too, and you hate to think of either of you going through any more losses. Yet you know that a war has started, and the last time there was war it didn't matter that you hated it – it still happened. You know, somewhere, that it can't be any different now, because how could it be? Surely thirteen years of being bodiless didn't soften a person.

Do you dare to hope? Do you dare to trust? Was any of it ever worth it, just to be betrayed, mocked, hurt? Can you let Sirius in, is he still the boy who helped you more than he knew, or was he changed so much, too? Do you – does he – dare losing a friend all over again? Are you able to find that which is left of youthful innocence, of that little child with forever-optimistic views (for how could anything go wrong if a friend is there?) in one another?

You coward, you think and you repress – then you let it out, then you hope – and you decide not to despair, because there's a child in you that won't go down without a fight, and there's a man in you who's lost so much he has to prevent losing more, and there's an echo of a friend in you, screaming for revenge. You can't let him down – and you can't let yourself down. And you promise yourself that you won't. With grim determination you face your fears and stand up for what you believe in.

**See, I like Remus. And I actually like this drabble. Do you?**


	11. Umbridge

**The characcters are JK Rowling's, but I can still try and get inside their heads.**

She always made sure she was on the winning side. Sometimes she believed what the people she worked with said, and at other times she didn't, but she found it easy to disregard her actual believes for the sake of her own well-being.

Self-preservation never cost anyone anything, she thought. She knew that the Ministry was lying. The signs were there, and she got high enough on the importance scale to be let in on the secret.

That Potter kid might rock the foundations of her world, built on prejudice. Someone had to do something about it. She wasn't going to let him bring her down along with Cornelius. He was a decent enough man, with a strong sense of political and basic survival, but she was wondering if that was going to be enough to… eliminate the weeds that spread over her old school.

She sent Dementors after Potter, because it was better him than her. He meant nothing to her, just a nuisance that needed getting rid of. He somehow managed to escape – The Boy Who Lived indeed. It was time for more noticeable measures.

Not long after that, she was seated at the Head Table of Hogwarts. She never liked children, but she was going through with it for her power, for control and for the good of her world. She stood up when it was her time to speak, giving her customary _hem, hem_. She hid her disgust of the little brats, half-bloods, Mudbloods, half-breeds, and wrapped her malicious intentions in sweet words and honey voice.

She never imagined she would face such rebellion. Somewhere, somehow, she still wanted to be accepted and liked, but all she got was some sneaky support from other selfish people. She never really wanted to be like them and she never wanted to live her life in hatred. She wanted to get rid of those who would take her life away, yes, but at the same time she admired Potter and his friends for their determination to do the right thing. They had what she always lacked. But she buried those feelings deep down inside of her and made them stop tugging at what was left of her conscience. Because in the end, what mattered was that she survive, and that she keep her comfort and her power.

She didn't like it, but such was her life. And maybe one day she would get her reward. Surely she placed herself on the winning side.

**As always, nothing stops you from reviewing. You know you want to!**


	12. Music Box

**The thing is, this was written for a Round Robin challenge on MNFF forums. The idea is a character sees a music box at a difficult point in their life and it plays a song that somehow relates to ehat's going on. And yes, part of the challenge was to make it so short.**

**I'm not the one who owns Harry Potter at all. If you don't know that by now... **

Harry was safe and his plan was working out – well, not brilliantly, but working out. But he was about to die and though he always said he wasn't afraid of it, he didn't quite want to let go.

There were still things to be done and things to experience… did he really want this life to end?

Suddenly, there was a music box and a tune came out of it – unheard and unseen by anyone but him.

I've loved, I've laughed and cried  
I've had my fill, my share of losing  
And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing  
To think I did all that  
And may I say, not in a shy way,  
"Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way"

_My way indeed,_ he thought.

"Severus… Please…"

A flash of blazing green light.

_I did it my way._

**This is probably the last drabble in at least a while so a review would be lovely.**


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